Glassware forming machine timing valve assembly



G. W. IRWIN Oct. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 26, 1963 Oct. 12, 1965 w, |Rw|N 3,211,168

GLASSWARE FORMING MACHINE TIMING VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed July 26, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 7 g I Z, 35 v 9; V Z747 Z0 Z5 49 24' a Z/ 22 224 29 2h 24 Z3 INVENTOR. faff MZM/Y/ BY United States Patent 3,211,168 GLASSWARE FORMING MACHINE TIMING VALVE ASSEMBLY George W. Irwin, Holland, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 26, 1963, Ser. No. 297,883 8 Claims. (Q1. 137-315) The present invention relates to an improved timing valve mechanism of a glassware forming machine, such as the known I.S., (individual section) machine; and more particularly to the valve operating mechanism and its mounting on the main valve of the timing system for each machine section.

The prior devices have required complete disassembly of the timing system to replace a valve operating lever or do work on the valve operators. These operating levers require frequent maintenance or replacement because of rapid wear or breakage.

The present invention has for an object a mounting for the valve operating levers onto the main valve body such that the levers are readily removable without further disassembly of the valve or timing drum.

A further object is the provision of a lever holder unit which mounts the valve operating levers in groups, for example, on the known timing system there are nineteen valves in the valve block, and this invention provides. a holder unit mounting the valve operating levers in two groups of seven each and one group of live.

Ideally, the main valve is enlarged to twenty-one valves, in which case three groups of levers of seven each in holders is utilized.

The specific nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the annexed sheets of drawings, on which, by way of preferred example only, are illustrated embodiments of this invention.

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective View, showing the main valve broken away and one of the lever holder units mounting a group of the valve operating levers of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the timing apparatus for an 1.8. glassware forming machine, showing in section, an operating lever holder unit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, a main valve body or housing 10 is mounted on a bracket 11 attached to the frame of the glassware forming machine (not shown). Operatively disposed beneath the valve body 10 is a rotary cam drum or timing drum 12 (FIG. 2). Adjustably secured to the cam drum are actuating buttons 13 and 14, the button 14 being longer than the button 13.

The valve body 10 has a forward or front side 15 and a rear side 16, the rear side being attached to a vertical leg of the bracket 11. At the lower rear side of the valve body 10 is an exhaust manifold 17 which extends along the length of the rear side of the valve. Exhaust manifold is secured in place under the ledge or corner 18 by a stud 19 threaded into the valve body 10. On the lower rearward corner of the manifold 17 there is formed an integral rearwardly, outwardly projecting retaining ledge 20. Forwardly located on the under side of manifold 17 are plural, downwardly extending locating lugs 21. The lugs 21 are spaced forwardly of ledge to receive the holder 22 of a valve operating lever assembly indicated generally at 23. There are a plurality of these assemblies for each valve 10, as indicated above, however, for simplicity of illustration but one assembly 23 is shown on the drawing (FIG. 1). Each valve lever operating assembly 23 com- CFI prises the holder 22, a plurality of valve operating levers 24 (in the example shown there are seven) and a pivot pin or shaft 25 which pivotally attaches each of the levers 24 on the holder 22. At the rear end of the holder 24 is a hooked clamp 26, shaped generally as a J-clamp, which fits over the rearward ledge 20. The forward end of the holder 22, has a series of divider webs 22a that extend parallel to levers 24, the space defined between webs 22a providing an area for pivotal operation of the levers. The forward end of each of the webs 22a has an enlargement 27 and the two end enlargements 27a and 27b are tapped for threads to detachably connect with the retaining screws 28 (FIG. 2).. The just-described members 27a, 27b and 28 provide a quick change fastening means for each of the valve lever operating assemblies 23 which fastens the forward end of its lever holder 22 to two of the underside lugs 21 of the valve body and in so doing the screws 28 draw the J-clamp into snug clamping engagement with the ledge 20. Each holder has a lower lever retaining wall 29 that is faced, on its upper side, with a bearing layer 29a of a durable material, such as nylon. The lower edge of the levers are stopped against this bearing surface 29a. The bearing material is such that it cushions impact of the downward thrust of the levers 24 in their operation, and also is resistant to wear by the repetitive oscillating cycles of the levers 24. Heretofore it has been the case that most of the maintenance on the timing mechanism of the glassware forming machine has been due to lever wear and lever breakage. This requires changing levers 24 frequently. As may be already apparent or will be apparent hereinafter, this invention provides for quick and convenient change of these levers without any material disassembly of the timing mechanism, such as removal of the timing drum, the main valve body, etc. This disassembly has been a necessity in the prior mechanism because of the inaccessibility of the rear side of the timing mechanism on the glassware machine. By the foregoing, each of the valve lever operating assemblies 23 are mounted in operating position on the main valve body, the several assemblies being disposed in adjacent relationship along the length of ledge 20.

In the valve body there are plural chambers 30 corre sponding in number (usually 19 or 21) to the levers 24 employed, or vice versa, and in each valve chamber there is disposed an axially movable valve spool 31. As in the usual practice, each valve spool 31 is compressed against a spring (not. shown) in the upper end. of its chamber 30 such that the spool is normally urged downwardly (FIG. 2) to bear against the top edge surface of its corresponding lever 24. The lower face of each of the levers 24 is provided with a sloping cam surface 32. The buttons 13 and 14 are of sufficient radial extent or length to make contact with surface 32 in the course of rotation of the drum 12 about its center shaft 33. As the drum rotates counterclockwise (shown by the arrow on FIG. 2), the forwardrbutton 13 will contact surface 32 and at a later time in the rotation the button 14 will contact surface 32. In the operating posit-ion, the valve spool 31 will be held in its lowermost position and its valve lever 24 will be at rest in a lowermost position as determined by butting of one portion of the lever against the bearing surface 29a of the holder. As the drum 12 continues to rotate, the button 13 will raise lever 24 against the valve spring. The front end of lever 24 has a hook or projection 34. A latch member 35 is pivotally mounted on pin 36, the latch member having limited swinging movement in the latch holder 37. The latch holder includes a coil spring 38 which urges the latch member 35 into engagement with the front edge of the valve lever 24. Latch member 35 has a notch or recess 39 disposed to cooperate with the projection 34 of lever 24. When the lever 24 is raised by button 13, the hook projection 34- will engage the notch 39 pivoted against the lever by the spring 38. This will latch the lever in the up position. The next button 14, being slightly longer than button 13, will lift lever 24 further and subsequently engage the lower corner 40 of the latch and pivot it away from hook 34 allowing the lever to fall to the lowered position. The rotational spacing between the buttons 13 and 14 may be varied as needed about the periphery of timing drum 12.

The quick change feature of the valve operating lever assemblies of the invention will now be described. With the assembly 23 installed in operating position as described above and shown on FIG. 2, it is easily detached from the valve as follows. The screws 28 are removed from the front side of the retaining lugs 21. The two end enlargements 27c and 27d of the webs 26 adjacent the end enlargements 27a and 27b, respectively, are provided with dowel holes 50. These are readily accessible from the front side of the valve 10. Two complementary dowel pins, shown in phantom outline at 51 on FIG. 1, are then inserted for the purpose of pushing the holder 22 rearward until the J-clamp 26 is disengaged from the ledge 20; whereupon, the assembly 23 will drop out of its mounting place on the lower side of the valve manifold 17.

While embodiments of the present invention have been herein specifically described, other embodiments and variations may occur to those skilled in the art after a knowledge of the disclosure herein, and it is desired to include within the scope of the patent granted hereon all such embodiments and variations, and more particularly as comprehended by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A timing valve mechanism of a glassware forming apparatus comprising a main valve body having front and rear sides, plural elongated valve spools in said body movable axially and each extending from said body to form a tappet face, a bracket mounted on the rear side of said valve defining .a rearwardly, outwardly projecting retaining ledge, said bracket having a forward, downwardly, extending locating lug, said lug and ledge being spaced laterally and rearwardly of said tappet faces, a valve operating lever assembly comprising a lever holder, a plurality of valve operating levers, means pivotally mounting said levers on said holder with their free ends extending outwardly and forwardly from said holder, and a hooked clamp at the rear end of said holder clampingly engaging said ledge, the forward end of said holder abutting said lug, a quick change detachable fastening means attaching the forward end of said holder to said lug and drawing said clamp on to said ledge, thereby detachably connecting said lever assembly onto said valve body in an operating position whereat the free ends of said levers individually engage a tappet face of a corresponding one of saidvalve spools for operating the valve by their pivotal movement.

2. The timing valve mechanism defined by claim 1, wherein the means pivotally mounting the levers comprises a transverse pin pivotally attaching the levers collectively to the holder, and additionally the holder includes a forwardly facing recess means for engaging the forward end of the holder, one said fastening means is l detached, so that the lever assembly may be shifted rearwardly and. unseat the hooked clamp and said retaining ledge to disassemble the lever assembly unit from the valve body.

3. A timing valve mechanism of a glassware forming apparatus comprising a plural chamber main valve body having front and rear sides and a plurality of elongated valve spools in said body valve chambers movable axially thereof for operating individual segments of the main valve, plural valve operating lever assemblies, said valve body having a lateral, rearwardly extending retaining ledge, each said lever assembly comprising a lever holder, plural valve spool operating levers end pivoted on each holder, the free ends thereof being forwardly disposed in an operating position for individually engaging a valve spool for operating the latter by pivotal movement of the levers, said holder having a hooked clamp at its rear end adapted to clamp on said ledge, means for fastening the forward end of each holder to said valve body forwardly of said retaining ledge thereon said lastnamed means cooperating with the retaining ledge to detachably connect each said assembly in said operating position, the valve operating lever assemblies each being individually detachable from the valve body.

4. A valve operating lever holder assembly comprising a lever holder member having a J-clamp at one longitudinal end, plural longitudinally extending and laterally spaced apart webs on said holder, each web terminating at an end projection having a fiat face at the opposite longitudinal end of the holder, a valve operating lever having one end thereof pivotally mounted on said holder intermediate the said longitudinal ends thereof and disposed intermediate said Webs for pivotal movement in a plane parallel with said webs, the other end of said levers extending outwardly beyond said opposite longitudinal end of said holder and adapted to engage a valve mem her and cam operator therefor.

5. The valve operating lever holder assembly defined in claim 4, including a bearing plate fastened along one longitudinal edge of said webs closing the space therebetween and limiting the pivotal movement of the levers in their plane of rotation in the direction of said bearing plate.

6. The valve operating lever holder assembly defined in claim 5, wherein said bearing plate has a bearing surface of nylon material disposed between said webs such that only said nylon surface will be engaged by said lever in its rotational movement between the webs in a direction toward said bearing plate.

7. The valve operating lever holder assembly defined in claim 4, having plural levers pivotally mounted in parallel relation, each lever being interposed in a space defined between a pair of said longitudinally extending webs for rotational movement in said space in substantially parallel planes.

8. The valve operating lever holder assembly defined in claim 7, wherein the outermost webs of said holder have tapped recesses extending normal to the flat face of their end projections adapted to receive a fastening means for fastening said assembly onto a valve and seating said J-clamp on the valve.

No references cited.

WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner, 

4. A VALVE OPERATING LEVER HOLDER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LEVER HOLDER MEMBER HAVING A J-CLAMP AT ONE LONGITUDINAL END, PLURAL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AND LATERALLY SPACED APART WEBS ON SAID HOLDER, EACH WEB TERMINING AT AN END PROJECTION HAVING A FLAT FACE AT THE OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL END OF THE HOLDER, A VALVE OPERATING LEVER HAVING ONE END THEREOF PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOLDER INTERMEDIATE THE SAID LONGITUDINAL ENDS THEREOF AND DIS- 